Pain between the shoulder blades can occur for various reasons. Some types of pain do not pose a potential threat to human health, but cause discomfort. Other pains require an immediate response, as they signal pathological conditions in the body that can be life-threatening.
Causes of discomfort
Pain syndrome in the interscapular region is characterized by a wide variety. The pain may be sharp, sharp, or dull and be nagging, aching, or shooting in nature. Sometimes the feeling of discomfort is reduced only to tingling and numbness. There are also cases where pain from the back radiates to nearby parts of the body. But regardless of the nature of the manifestations, they are always unpleasant and indicate problems in the human body.
The causes of pain between the shoulder blades can be as follows:
- Lack of regular physical activity: exercise, sports, swimming.
- Sedentary work.
- Sudden physical activity, especially if performed by an untrained person.
- All types of injuries suffered by a person during impacts, falls, road accidents.
The following diseases can provoke the appearance of pain:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine.
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Thoracic or cervical radiculitis.
- Intercostal neuralgia.
- Bad posture.
- Angina and coronary heart disease.
- Pleurisy.
- Pneumonia.
- Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.
The nature of the pain may suggest which disease caused it. Therefore, in case of coronary heart disease, in most cases the pain will also affect the chest. But more often back pain is associated with diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Diseases with characteristic symptoms
For each disease associated with pain between the shoulder blades, the sensations are individual. Therefore, with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, pain increases when turning the body or head, breathing, sneezing, coughing and performing any physical activity. This is typical for osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia and hernia. Furthermore, in these cases, the pain is not relieved by nitroglycerin.
With neuralgia, pain in a person's nerves, unpleasant sensations are observed when palpating the problem area. The pain may be dull or intense in the affected area.
In heart disease, pain is often localized between the shoulder blades. At the same time, they are oppressive in nature. Further symptoms are:
- heart rhythm disorders;
- increased blood pressure;
- difficult breathing.
The pain radiates to the left arm, neck, head and even teeth. This condition can be a harbinger of a heart attack, in which a person needs emergency medical attention.
With lung diseases, in addition to unpleasant sensations in the back (dull pain), a person is disturbed by coughing and difficulty breathing. With tuberculosis, blood clots can pass along with sputum. Such body conditions pose a potential threat to human life, so they must be treated in a timely manner.
Painful sensations of a stabbing nature can occur with a cold. For example, if a person spent a lot of time on a draft.
Recommended treatments
You should not self-medicate, focusing only on the painful signs of the disease. For an accurate diagnosis, the patient is advised to consult a doctor. Only in a medical institution will a person be able to conduct the necessary research and provide qualified assistance.
In diseases of the musculoskeletal system, efforts are initially aimed at eliminating pain. For this, a person is prescribed painkillers and ointments.
If a person has a confirmed intervertebral hernia, they may require surgery.
To treat infectious diseases and other disorders of the respiratory system, a person is prescribed complex treatment. An angina attack must be stopped with nitroglycerin tablets, and then the patient must undergo a complete examination. Based on the results, the doctor will be able not only to choose the right treatment, but also to give recommendations to the patient regarding further actions, for example, whether the person is recommended for hospitalization and surgery.
How to relieve pain
You can deal with pain using various methods. Therefore, for diseases of the heart, lungs and other internal organs, drug therapy cannot be avoided.
To eliminate pain due to diseases of the musculoskeletal system, the following procedures will help:
- A massage that should only be performed by a professional masseur. It is not recommended to do this in case of intervertebral hernia, as well as in the acute phase of osteochondrosis.
- Physical therapy is effective. Therapeutic exercise is a set of exercises aimed at restoring the spine and eliminating discomfort.
The use of painkillers is acceptable: tablets, creams, gels.
Preventive measures
To prevent pain between the shoulder blades, a person must carefully monitor their health. At the first symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor.
To prevent heart and respiratory diseases that cause pain in the interscapular area, it is recommended to adhere to a healthy lifestyle:
- stop smoking;
- balance your diet;
- do not overcool;
- avoid stressful situations;
- periodically perform a cardiogram;
- check your blood pressure.
To prevent diseases of the musculoskeletal system we recommend:
- To live an active lifestyle. It is recommended to visit the gym and swimming pool at least 2 times a week. If this is not possible, exercises can be replaced with jogging in the fresh air, cycling, skiing or active ball play.
- If a person's professional activity involves sedentary work, it is recommended to do a short warm-up for the neck and shoulders every hour.
- You should sit only in comfortable chairs with backrests, as this reduces the load on the spine during sedentary work.
- Don't slouch, try to maintain correct posture.
By following these rules you can protect yourself from many diseases. But if a person shows the first signs of back discomfort, it is better not to delay and undergo a medical examination in time. Self-medication without an accurate diagnosis can make the situation worse.